Notice a wide variety of adult doodles.

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

This might sound narrow minded but very curious about picking a doodle. I notice during my research that there is many different looking adult dogs when there are full grown. Now just wondering family is looking for a certain type what is the best way to go about this? Follow a breeder and watch the parents puppies over few litters. Don't want to sound narrow minded we LOVE all dogs and just wanna pick something we really like if we can.

[Lindsay n Archie]

It might be best to start with a reputable breeder and look at their past litters.  Many of them have updated pictures of their puppies, etc.....

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

One of the reasons that doodles have such a variety in their looks is because they are a mixed breed dog and there isn't consistency in their genes yet.  One of my dogs is a seventh generation doodle and he actually does look like his parents.  Going to a reputable breeder and checking out their parent dogs' previous litters could give you a better idea of what a pup from them is likely to look like - or the range of looks.  If you need more of a guarantee of what your dog will look like, getting a multigenerational doodle or a pure bred dog is a better plan. 

[Jen and Annie]

First generations are the most 'risky' if there is a certain look you are going for. You really never know what you're going to get. You can look on the "puppy to adult" group - this will give you a good idea of what to look for in a puppy, if you are wanting a certain 'look' as an adult. I have a first generation labradoodle - she looks nothing like she did when she was a puppy. With the first generation, you could get an adult coat that looks just like a lab - or an adult coat that looks like the shaggy dog. You can generally tell from a puppy whether they will grow long hair or not. Check with your breeder, tell them what you are looking for - and a reputable breeder can usually tell from a young age, what sort of coat the pup will have as an adult... most important, of course is that the dogs personality fits in with your family - but you can find a dog that LOOKS the way you want, and will suit your family. Good luck!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't think it's narrow minded to want a dog that looks a certain way, but there is no way to guarantee what any mixed breed puppy is going to look like as an adult. There is not much consistency; even within the same litter, you get dogs with all different kinds of coats, colors, and sizes. There are adult doodles from the same litter who have 20 lb weight differences between them. There are adult doodles who have straight coats and shed, and who have littermates with curly coats that don't shed. If you have very specific preferences about looks, coat, size, etc., you might be better off getting a purebred puppy. With purebred from experienced, reputable breeders, you are virtually assured of what you dog will look like as an adult, in every respect.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

The only sure way of getting the look that you want would be to adopt an adult doodle.  If you want a puppy you'll have to find yourself an experienced reputable breeder who has raised many litters... they may be able to "guesstimate" the coat better if they've seen a lot of their puppies grow up.

[Star and Goldie]

That's definitely not a narrow minded approach. I had a certain look in mind as well.  What I did was extensive research to first land on a breeder. Once I was comfortable selecting my breeder I kept an eye on their upcoming litters. If you aren't in a hurry for a dog it's great to think ahead and go for an upcoming litter vs current litter because you have more chances of being first pick- which is always a plus when you have specifics in mind. My breeder had several pictures in the customer testimonial sections and she listed what parent dogs they came from.  I found a few pictures that fit what I was looking for and specifically pointed them out to her. Like everyone has said, there is no guarantee on the look but when the breeder knows every detail of the look you want it helps them lead you in the right direction. I felt like I was being so picky and apologized to my breeder a thousand times. I told her gender,  size, color, coat type, facial frame, build, etc.. But I kept in mind that I might not get everything on my "wish list" so I prioritized them. I was 3rd pick for females from my group and the breeder was actually the 1st 2 picks. One of the most wonderful things about her was that she actually let me pick first since she knew I had a specific look and I had already told her the one I had my eye on when they were first born. By the time they were 3 weeks old she sent me an email and said if I still had my eye on that one she would pick after me. PERFECT!

So in a nutshell... find a reputable breeder first, build a rapport with them and team up with them to lead you in the right direction but also remind yourself that there are no guarantees. They will do their best to help find a match for you but doodles are still wild cards in a lot of categories.

Good luck and post pics of your little bundle of joy when you get him/her!